THE WASHING OF THE FEET

​Jesus exhorts each one of us to love one another. He says at John 13:34. 
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“A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another.”
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​This is not something Jesus expected his disciples to take lightly. We see this when he explained in greater detail in the same chapter, at verses 12 through 17. But let’s go back a few verses to get the context of what Jesus is speaking about before focusing on my point, which is in verses 12 through 17. Starting at verse 3, it reads

Jesus, knowing that the Father had given all things into His hands, and that He had come from God and was going to God, rose from supper and laid aside His garments, took a towel and girded Himself. After that, He poured water into a basin and began to wash the disciples’ feet, and to wipe them with the towel with which He was girded. Then He came to Simon Peter. And Peter said to Him, “Lord, are You washing my feet?”Jesus answered and said to him, “What I am doing you do not understand now, but you will know after this.”Peter said to Him, “You shall never wash my feet!”Jesus answered him, “If I do not wash you, you have no part with Me.”Simon Peter said to Him, “Lord, not my feet only, but also my hands and my head!”Jesus said to him, “He who is bathed needs only to wash his feet, but is completely clean; and you are clean, but not all of you.” For He knew who would betray Him; therefore He said, “You are not all clean.”So when He had washed their feet, taken His garments, and sat down again, He said to them, “Do you know what I have done to you? You call Me Teacher and Lord, and you say well, for so I am. If I then, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet. For I have given you an example, that you should do as I have done to you. Most assuredly, I say to you, a servant is not greater than his master; nor is he who is sent greater than he who sent him. If you know these things, blessed are you if you do them.
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​We as Christians must understand the significance of Jesus’ actions in these verses. So, let’s take a moment and break that down because I want to lead you all somewhere that impacts us as Christians in today’s modern times. 
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the washing of feet in bible times

In Bible times, in the region in which Jesus lived, much of the land was dry and dusty. To get around from one place to another, people often traveled by horses, donkeys, an animal pulling a cart, or they walked. The majority of people walked to go from one destination to the next. Along these paths that people walked, many animals, such as camels, oxen, donkeys, and sheep were led down these same roads. As these animals traveled from one place to another, they left behind gifts along the way – poop to be more exact. Eventually, carts would pass along these same paths, spreading these animals’ poop everywhere. It was almost impossible for anyone to avoid stepping in these animals’ poop on their journey.

Between the dusty roads and animals’ poop, the citizenry’s feet became very nasty and smelly by the time they reached their destination. This is why the washing of one’s feet was such an important practice in the Jewish custom during Bible times. It was a hospitable act to wash the feet of another considering the mess their feet would encounter on their journeys from one place to another. As we further discuss this talking point, we need to be mindful that the washing of one’s feet was such a nasty job during ancient times that in most households, this duty was relegated to the slaves.
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So, here, in chapter 13 of John, Jesus is teaching us, his disciples, a very important lesson – how to love. In fact, Jesus explains it this way in verse 7. 

“What I am doing you do not understand now, but you will know after this.”
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​Jesus was insinuating that we as his disciples do not know how to properly show our brothers and sisters in the faith love. And we don’t. This is well illustrated by how we gossip about one another. Create mountains of YouTube content trashing one another while collecting a paycheck for our so called good deed. The apostle John says it this way. “…Yes, the time is coming that whoever kills you will think that he offers God service” (John 16:2). As Jesus said, we have no clue how to properly love one another.

The washing of the feet is a credible aspect of their culture because of the lesson it teaches us. Jesus goes and says in the following verses.
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​I have given you an example, that you should do as I have done to you (John 13:15).
… Blessed are you if you do them (John 13:17).
… All will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another (John 13:35).
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​Jesus was quantifying the act of washing someone’s stinky, dirty feet as an acceptable and expected practice that should be done by all Christians. In fact, Jesus took it a step further in verse 34. He said
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A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another.
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A new commandment or new standard – a new rule or example Jesus was giving all his disciples. Let’s go back to verse 15. In that verse, Jesus said he had given us an example to follow, imitate, mimic, copy, repeat in our actions toward all our brothers and sisters. But let’s not miss something else Jesus is showing us through his instructions of the washing of the feet.

Notice who is doing the washing in John 13. Not a slave or one of Jesus’ disciples. But Jesus! Their leader. The King of the universe. The one that all men will bow down to. It was the head, their leader who laid his garment aside, took a towel and girded himself, poured water into a basin, and, without asking, began to bathe the feet of each of his disciples. WHAT A LESSON OF LOVE!

Jesus as king lowered and humble himself before each one of his disciples to take a position of what was relegated to slaves, and washed his disciples' filthy feet as a gesture of hospitality. But more importantly, he was displaying his love for each one of them. We need to be mindful, that Judas Iscariot was one of the ones present whom Jesus feet he washed.
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Now, let’s stop right there for a minute, and let’s be honest for a second. Can any of us today, imagine any pastor in our local churches, or the prophets or apostles of today, will be willing to do such an act toward any of their members? I do not think so. In fact, I know they wouldn’t. With today’s breed of pastors, prophets, and apostles, they would see this act of love beyond them. Although their King, Jesus, would perform such an act even today without hesitation. Now, let’s bring this loving act of washing one’s feet to a modern application for Christians today. 
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Correction Is an act of love
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We all fall short according to Romans 3:23. No man is perfect in deeds, actions, or the words he or she speaks. We tend to sin because all of us are born in sin. (Compare to Psalm 51:5; Romans 5:13; Genesis 6:5). As a result, of this sinful tendency, we sometimes misspeak, especially when we are teaching GOD’s Word. Sometimes it's because we lack an accurate understanding of the Scriptures. In cases such as this, far too many Christians choose to handle such mistakes of their brothers and sisters in the faith by creating YouTube or Facebook commentaries where they label the errors of their brothers and sisters as false prophets and or false teachers. They attempt to correct the errors of their brothers' or sisters’ with no grace. Nor do they allow room for these ones to make mistakes or even to learn from their own errors.

Now, what I am NOT saying is we should not call out false prophets or false teachers. I am NOT saying that we should not publicly warn our brothers and sisters in the faith about people that are constantly teaching false doctrines. Nope, that is not what I am saying. So, do not twist my words. It is scriptural to correct and even publicly call out someone or a group of people for teaching false doctrines. We see accounts like this done by the apostles and prophets throughout the Bible. So, yes, we do have a responsibility to point out and call out false prophets and teachers today.

But there is a difference between those who constantly and purposely are preaching and teaching false doctrines to those who error, misinterpret the Scriptures, or misspoke concerning the Scriptures. There is a big difference that needs to be clearly distinguished in the Body of Christ. Okay, let’s look at a clear example so we do not miss the point I am making.
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Let’s turn to Acts chapter 18 and look at a few verses. Starting with verse 24, it reads
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Now a certain Jew named Apollos, born at Alexandria, an eloquent man and mighty in the Scriptures, came to Ephesus. This man had been instructed in the way of the Lord; and being fervent in spirit, he spoke and taught accurately the things of the Lord, though he knew only the baptism of John. So he began to speak boldly in the synagogue. When Aquila and Priscilla heard him, they took him aside and explained to him the way of God more accurately.
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​Now, here the Scriptures say that Apollos was fervently in the Spirit preaching the word. An “eloquent man and mighty in the Scriptures…” (Acts 18:24). It goes on and says in verse 25 that “… he spoke and taught accurately the things of the LORD…. But noticed this interesting point GOD’s Word also makes about Apollos. Although it said he was a mighty and accurate teacher of GOD’s Word, it continues by saying that he only knew the baptism of John. Indicating that even though Apollos was a good solid Bible teacher, he was still lacking in his teachings in some areas because he only knew or understood Biblical teachings as it related to John the Baptizer.

So, how did the brothers and sisters who became aware of Apollos’ error in his teachings respond to Apollos? Let’s examine what GOD’s Word says. Let’s go back a couple of verses to where Apollos, Aquila, and Priscilla are introduced to us in Scripture.

We see in verse 18 of Acts 18, Paul meets Aquila and Priscilla in the city of Syria. After departing from them, some time afterward, the Scriptures introduce us to Apollos who at some point had an encounter with Aquila and Priscilla. So, let’s talk about their encounter a little bit.

So, we read that Apollos was going from one synagogue to the next, boldly teaching GOD’s Word. At some point, Aquila and Priscilla heard him speak. As they listened, they noticed that some of the things Apollos was teaching were not quite on point. It was not necessarily inaccurate but Apollos was certainly lacking an understanding of some critical aspects of the Bible in his teachings. So, how did Aquila and Priscilla respond or react to Apollos’ errors in his teachings? Did they call Apollos out and started yelling in the streets to everyone that would listen about Apollos’ errors? Did they immediately label Apollos as a false prophet or a false teacher? How did they respond to some of the deficiencies in Apollos’ teachings?

Verse 26 says “… they took him (Apollos) aside and explained to him the way of GOD more accurately.” Is this not right in harmony with what the scriptures say at Matthew 18:15-17? Now, granted, these verses are referring to someone who has sinned or is sinning. But the principle spoken in these verses can be applied in the case of Apollos. Aquila and Priscilla noticed an error or mistake Apollos was making in his teachings of GOD’s Word. So, like Matthew chapter 18, verse 15 states, they pulled their brother, Apollos aside privately to show him his error or mistake.

Aquila and Priscilla's response to Apollos is exactly the example or act Jesus was referring to when he spoke to his disciples about the washing of each other feet at John 13. The act of washing one another feet, despite how nasty the chore was for the one who was doing the washing, is an act of love. In the same manner, Aquila and Priscilla were displaying the same kind of love toward Apollos. They could have opted to be nasty and unloving toward Apollos by calling him out in a destructive way. Calling Apollos a false prophet or false teacher because he was (1) teaching only from a perspective that he understand at that time – the baptism of John. (2) Therefore, he was leaving out some other important content of the Scriptures, which caused him to misspoke as he taught and interpret the Scriptures. But despite this error of Apollos, Aquila and Priscilla showed Apollos grace but more importantly, love. They symbolically washed the feet of Apollos by privately correcting him on his error concerning the Scriptures.

What were the results of this loving act by Aquila and Priscilla? At some point, Apollos desired to further his ministry by crossing over to Achaia. Who were the ones that sent letters of recommendation on Apollos' behalf to the disciples and leaders in the region? Acquila and Priscilla. It said at Acts 18:27 “… when he desired to cross to Achaia, the brethren wrote, exhorting the disciples to receive him….” And the brothers in Achaia did. As a result, Apollos was a great help to the brothers there. And noticed what the Scriptures now say about Apollos. It says, “… he vigorously refuted the Jews publicly, showing from the Scriptures that Jesus is the Christ.” Look at the growth! Apollos went from only teaching from the perspective of John the baptizer to preaching and teaching about Christ because Aquila and Priscilla lovingly gave Apollos, in private, the correction he needed.

What love Aquila and Priscilla showed toward a brother who lacked in some understanding of GOD’s Word. This is so contrary to what many YouTube commentaries do today. Many, if not most, fail to apply  Matthew18:15-16. They fail to apply John 13:12. They fail to follow the example that Jesus set for all of us, hence why Jesus said to his disciples – we do not know or understand what love is. (Compare to John 13:3-17). And we don’t. We really don’t.

We think love is always being kind, nice, and acting and talking sweetly to everyone we meet. That love is not judging people. Nor is it not correcting people’s errors or mindsets. But Jesus does not describe love this way. Now, keep in mind, that displaying love is vast and there are many ways to show it. And one way is to correct individuals when they error. Aquila and Priscilla clearly showed this in the way they responded to Apollos’ teaching error.
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We can learn from their example in how we correct our brothers and sisters when they error concerning any inaccuracies in teaching GOD’s Word. We all have different teaching styles and that is okay. But we also are all at different levels. Like Apollos, some of us are limited in our understanding of the Scriptures. Apollos only knew about the baptism of John. So, he taught from the perspective he knew and understood. Aquila and Priscilla were sensitive, discerning, and wise enough to understand that Apollos just needed additional support in his understanding of the Scriptures. Instead of publicly calling him out and creating YouTube content about Apollos. They instead pulled Apollos aside and helped widen his understanding. 
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praying in agreement with the lord concerning such matters

​Jesus said something interesting at John chapter 5, in verse 30 – “I can of Myself do nothing. As I hear, I judge; and My judgment is righteous because I do not seek My own will but the will of the Father who sent Me.” That was the New King James Version. Let’s read it in the New Living Translation. “I can do nothing on my own. I judge as God tells me. Therefore, my judgment is just, because I carry out the will of the one who sent me, not my own will.”

Notice, Jesus indicates that he does not do a single thing or speak a single word if his FATHER, Jehovah GOD, does not instruct him to do so. He says I can do nothing on my own. I don’t seek my own will but the will of the Father. Therefore, if GOD HIMSELF does not tell Jesus to speak XYZ about HIS brother or sister in the faith, Jesus would not speak it – especially publicly.
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So, as an apostle of Christ who follows the example that Jesus sets for me, I too do nothing on my own, nor do I seek my own will but the will of my FATHER– Jehovah GOD. So, when GOD gives me instructions to speak, do, or pray a certain way, I do accordingly.
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​Therefore, Jehovah GOD, as YOUR humble servant who seeks to please YOU. I will obey and am obeying as YOU have instructed me. For YOU have given to the sons of man the earth. For YOU said in YOUR Word, “… the earth He has given to the children of men” (Psalm 115:16). Therefore, YOU created us to have dominion over everything on the earth (Genesis 1:28). YOU said, whatever we bind on earth, it will be bound in heaven, and whatever we loose on earth, it will be loosed in heaven (Matthews 18:18). YOU have given us the authority to capture a thing and it will be done in your name. (Compare to Luke 10:19; John 14:12; Acts 1:8).

So, FATHER, in the name of YOUR Son, Jesus, the Christ, may it be a witness today, as I execute not my judgment but YOURS. For not my will but YOURS. Therefore, I declare that it may be so, that anyone who calls themselves a son or daughter or a child of GOD who continues to speak against their brother or sister in the faith unlawfully that your judgment will fall upon them and their households like Korah, who spitefully spoke against your chosen vessels Moses and Aaron. (See Numbers chapter 16). Korah, this foolish man, and those who followed him refused to heed the counsel and warning of Moses. They refuse to repent. As a result, YOU FATHER suddenly split opened the ground beneath them, and the earth swallowed Korah, his entire household, and the household of those who chose to follow his nonsense. The Scriptures say that these rebellious individuals, their family members, and those associated with them, all went into the grave alive and their belongings. Then the earth closed over them and all of them vanished. And YOU did not stop there. As soon as the ground closed up, YOU sent fire from the heavens and allowed 250 men who were offering incense in support of Korah to burn them up (Numbers 16:31-34).
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FATHER, may it be so today for those who continue to unlawfully spill toxic words against their brothers and sisters for a YouTube or Facebook commission. May it be so towards those who speak out by their own will concerning their brothers and sisters and not YOUR will. May it be so against those who refuse to follow the counsel of YOUR words as stated at Matthew chapter 18, verses 15 through 17. May it be so for those who refuse to show grace towards their brother or sister that error in their teaching of YOUR Word. May it be so for those who still to this day refuse to repent for speaking against their brothers or sisters in the faith unlawfully. In Jesus’ name, Amen and amen.